Between Sleep and Reality
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Junsu has been brought into the F4 family, but no one imagined that something traumatic would force him to take a second look at the things he wanted. With his brother gone to France, he's forced to lean on F4 heavily, but they can only take so much of his sulky attitude when Min Ho's sister starts causing trouble. He has to turn to someone else to ease his nightmares. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is the new story and it's Junsu's! There is no BoF character for him to be with but F4 is in it. This will also take place at the same time as Junho's. Junho won't be present during this story but Junsu will be present in his.

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Junsu jerked awake, cold sweat running down is neck and back. It was the same nightmare that had been plaguing him for the last month. The nightmares of watching the little girl die in the street, in the crosswalk in front of his family's bakery. The nightmare that had started because he hadn't made it out the door in time to save her. How could he call himself a man?

A hand lifted his head then set it down on a warm thigh. He looked up as a cool cloth went over his forehead. Eri met his eyes as she soothed him. He had been crashing on her couch for a week, since his brother had gone to France to learn a few new pastries.

"You couldn't have stopped it, Jun," she muttered. "The car was going too fast. Even if you had made it outside, it happened too fast."

He buried his face in her hip, soaking in the abrupt comfort she always exuded. His heart ached for the family who would never frequent his bakery ever again.

"It was the mother's birthday," he muttered. "They had specifically ordered a cake from us and were picking it up."

Eri forced him to look up at her. "Listen to me, Jun. it was a freak accident that you had no control over. You feeling guilty isn't going to help anyone. To make yourself feel better, you've wallowed in pity, and it's tiring. If you want to stay here, get out of the funk and go back to work. If not, find someone else's couch to lie on."

True to her personality, Eri rarely ever held pity for anyone. She believed that you had to take everything you were dealt. She had taken him in when it had happened because she knew he was going to need someone since Junho had left for France a few weeks ago. He had been at the shop when the little girl had been killed. He had been the one combating the nightmares, but Junsu had thought hard about what his twin felt. But like usual, Junho had kept everything inside even as he left for France.

Eri's fingers worked magic in his now green hair. She may be hard on him because she loved him, but it was that love that also urged her to soothe him too. He wasn't going back to sleep any time soon so he might as well enjoy what little comfort he was going to be given until Woo Bin woke up.

"Is the house coming along?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know. Woo Bin won't let me see it. He just tells me to paint whatever I feel like, create whatever I want, and do what I want. I have no idea what he's doing but I trust him enough to let him keep his secret. He's doing this because we're in the process of adopting another baby."

Junsu looked up even though he was barely able to see her face in the dim light. "When did you make this decision?"

"Bin's friends just had another baby. He was talking to them about it and they told him one of their friends just had a set of twins. Unfortunately, they were in a traffic accident that killed the parents and orphaned the children. The parents' parents are no longer here as well. They've been taken to an orphanage until someone can adopt them. Without asking me, Woo Bin put in the paperwork to adopt them. The process should be done soon. He's doing his best to get the house ready by then."

"Twins. You're going to have your hands full. Twins aren't easy to take care of, especially if they're identical like Junho and I are."

"I'm not afraid of it. I don't have to be. The entire family will raise them. Besides, they can play with Ga Eul and Yi Jeong's baby when it's born in January."

He had forgotten that. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul had gotten married almost seven months ago. Things had been hard on them since the whole ordeal with Woo Ahn, Woo Bin's older brother, nearly three years ago. Ga Eul had been dealing with some things with intimacy but Yi Jeong was patient. When they got married, they had taken things slowly. Like Eri, she hadn't known she was pregnant when she had gotten married. Now they were getting everything ready for their baby.

"That would put those babies at nearly four months then since there's only two months left until the child is born."

Eri nodded. "Not only that, but it's been five years since I came to Korea. Bin Ji will be five in July and Ahn Na three in May. The twins' birthdays are at the end of June on separate days. Woo Bin will be thirty-three in February, as will I next month."

"Junho and I will be twenty-seven in a month, on December 15. You'll be thirty-three on the twenty-seventh. And Ji Hoo and Kyu Lee's anniversary is the seventeenth. Too many things to remember." He heard the alarm clock going off and wondered if she heard it. "Are the hearing aids to your standards?"

Her fingers never stopped their motions. "I feel much better having hearing aids than cochlear implants. With these I am able to put them in and take them out as much as I like. I can be fully hearing one day and fully deaf the next. It just depends on how I feel. Tonight I've been working on a new piece for Yi Jeong so I kept them in to listen to music."

"Still listening to Super Junior I take it."

Her smile was slight. "Always."

The bedroom door opened and Woo Bin emerged rubbing his bedraggled head. Like usual, he was shirtless and his pajama pants hung low on his hips. His bare feet didn't make a sound as he padded through the living room to the kitchen in search for coffee. Eri turned her attention to him, keeping an eye on him even though he didn't need it.

"How many should I make?" he asked, his voice husky with sleep.

Junsu sat up and swung his legs off the couch. "Junho made bread before he left for France. He said we need to eat it before it goes bad." He pulled a loaf out of the fridge and smelled it. "Cinnamon honey bread. It goes well with coffee."

Woo Bin smiled and took the packed food from him. "Did you keep her up all night?"

The younger man shook his head. "No, she was up working before I woke up. She was working over in the corner when I went to bed. She must have been working up until I had a nightmare."

He watched as Eri came around the counter and wrapped her arms around Woo Bin's waist. He hugged her back as he leaned against the sink and waited for the coffee to brew. Being rich had its perks. They had a better coffee pot than he had ever had other than at the café.

"Are you going to tell me?" he asked. She shook her head against his chest. "Is this payback for not tell you what's going on with the house?" She looked up at him. "That's what I thought."

"Ooo, cuddling in the kitchen. That's a big no-no," Yi Jeong quipped as he walked to the fridge.

"No one asked you," Woo Bin snarked. He sobered immediately. "How's Ga Eul?"

"Irritated. She doesn't want to go to work, but she hasn't got the time off just yet. Next month will be when she can take off, but it hasn't come around yet. I don't remember you being this bad."

"She wasn't. Then again she was at a hospital when she was pregnant so she could rest when she needed."

Eri tapped Woo Bin's chest then stepped away from him. "You have to get ready for work and I have work to finish. The kids have to be up in an hour for school and Ga Eul has to take them. Junsu has work as well. So let's quit yapping and get ready."

Yi Jeong shook his head as she went back to the corner she had made her work space. "That never gets old. She's always so bossy."

"It makes for good entertainment." Woo Bin poured three cups of coffee and set them on the counter. "Now, why aren't you picking yourself up like you should be? It's time for you to go back to work at your family's shop and put that little girl's death behind you."

Junsu should have known that Woo Bin would know what his source of nightmares was. Living under the roof as the four of them, Ga Eul was included, meant he was going to be at a severe disadvantage. It was part of the reason he had come to live with them for the time being.

"I keep seeing her face." He hadn't even told Eri that and she had been the one dealing with it these last few days.

"How old was she?" Yi Jeong asked before taking a sip of coffee.

"Seven. She hadn't even begun to live life before it was snatched from her. Her brother is never going to know his sister as he grows up. Her parents are always going to long for the daughter they lost in front of my shop."

"You do know that it's not your fault right?" Woo Bin wondered. "There was no way you could have stopped that man from speeding through the intersection and hitting that girl. We talked to the police. They said he had been drinking and driving way too fast. Nothing anyone would have done could have stopped him."

"If only I had…"

"If you had, we would have been burying you too," Yi Jeong snapped. "Think about what that family had gone through. We would have gone through it. Your mother, your brother, your F4 brothers, all of us would have had to bury you. Your twin would have lost part of himself. Your mother has already buried her husband. She would not have survived if she had buried you. Then there's this family you would have left behind. That woman," he pointed to the corner, "would have pulled so far into herself we wouldn't be able to bring her out. Do you really want to put all of us through that? Especially your twin?"

It was harsh but that was how this family was. They never sugarcoated anything, preferring to give it straight. It was brutal and callous but it was the way things tended to be. And it always worked out in the end. He didn't think bitterly of them because they were doing it out of love for him.

Woo Bin tossed a piece of bread at his face. "Go back to work. Go help your mother. Hoon already told us he'd give you time to get things back on track. You have classes to finish and your qualifiers. Don't trample on that little girl's memory by withdrawing from the world. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want that."

The door beeped as the pass code was accepted. Min Ho walked in carrying a huge easel and a bag of canvases. He carried them over to Eri where he exchanged a brief conversation before walking over to them.

"You haven't heard yet. Good," he sighed.

"Heard what?" Yi Jeong asked.

"My sister and her husband are going to challenge the validity of your birth. She says your mother cheated on your father and you're not biologically his."

Woo Bin slammed his cup down. "This again? Last time my mother showed the documentation that I was my father's son. I look just like him! Bin Ji looks just like him!"

"We know, but she's still sore that I have all the backing of F4 and the most powerful families in all of Korea. Does she know that Eri is head of the DeArgint family, one of the most powerful families in France?"

"I don't think so. But if your sister wants to take over the family, I know a way to prevent that. It's going to piss her off too."

"What are you going to do?" Yi Jeong asked. He had a truly menacing smile like he already knew what his best friend was going to do. Knowing them, they probably knew each other's moves before they did them.

"Just wait. It should be in the news tomorrow. I can fix Miss Cho Min Hae in a way that she will never go against anyone in F4 again."

Min Ho and Junsu looked at each other, kind of scared at what Woo Bin could come up with. Knowing them, it was probably the most scandalous thing that would cause a boom in Song Construction and So Art Gallery.


	2. Chapter 2

Junsu sat at his brother's work table with all of his books splayed around him. No matter how hard he concentrated, he still couldn't work. He was alone in the bakery, just feet away from where the accident occurred. His heart raced as he thought about it. He wanted everything set and ready for when Junho returned, but if he couldn't be in the bakery, there was no way he was going to be of any use.

The door to the kitchen opened and Eri walked in with her arms full. Coffees from Hoon's shop, two bags, a box and a couple of canvases went on the work table. She slid the coffee across the table to him then pulled up a stool and sat beside him. She pulled out her phone and put on classical music before propping a canvas up and pulling out some colored pencils and markers like she was in school again.

She pressed her shoulder into his and started to work. The pressure soothed him and he looked down at the books, the numbers finally making sense. He was able to focus and get his work done. He put in new orders on their inventory list; he upped the numbers of how many certain pastries should be sold; and how many things of coffee should be brewed in an hour. He got all the nitpicky things out of the way with could focus on their overall budget.

The second he took a sip of coffee, flavor exploded across his taste buds. He looked at the cup then the woman who had brought it. She had brought him chicory coffee and if he looked in the bag she had pulled from one of the other bags he would undoubtedly find éclairs. This was one of the reasons he loved this woman. She knew exactly how to make him feel better.

He pulled the white bag to him and dug around in it. Bear claws and Danishes were on top so it took a minute to get to the chocolaty stuff. He pulled one out and stuffed it in his mouth as he closed the bag and shoved it away from him. He tried to keep chocolate off his books.

After doing the schedule for the next two weeks, he opened his school books and caught up on the studying he had missed because of his nightmares. With the mixture of coffee and pastries, it made the impromptu study session that much better. He was able to concentrate and retain everything he was reading. That was a good thing because finals were just around the corner.

After several hours they ended up sitting in the floor listening to Xia Junsu croon about a Chocolate Girl then tell them about Tarantellegra.

"What even is tarantellegra?" he asked.

"It's a spell in the Harry Potter franchise. Draco Malfoy uses it in "The Chamber of Secrets" during the Duelling Club practice to make Harry dance uncontrollably. Xia wants the same thing with his music. He wants his fans to dance uncontrollably when they hear this song," Eri explained. She leaned her head back on the wall. "Does this tell you how much of a nerd I am?"

He laughed. "Not a nerd, just very well equipped to answer nerdy questions."

She snorted then took a sip of her coffee. Sighing like everyone did when they took a satisfying drink, she stared at no place in particular. "What's the longest length of time you and Junho spent apart?"

He had to think about that. They had been born together, only minutes apart. They had done everything together from school to work. They had attended the same middle and high schools and even gone to the same university.

"The only time we were ever separated for more than twelve hours was when he went to France to study," he said. "He had talked about it for years. He wanted to be like Dad so he worked two jobs through high school and our first two years of college to save up enough money. If he was accepted, Mom would match him and pay the rest of his tuition. Needless to say, he was accepted. He studied there for two years, but I couldn't live without him so I followed. When he was finished, I applied for my MBA here and started working for Hoon. Then we met you and the rest is history."

"That sounds like me and Francesco." When she said her brother's name, he could hear the French lilt in her voice. Every now and then he heard it when she was speaking quickly, but her Korean was so fluent he rarely heard it. "When I came out of my series of surgeries, Francesco wouldn't let me go anywhere without him. He'd walk me to school, to the store, anywhere I wanted to go. When I could finally hear due to hearing aids, he was always yammering. We spent our summers on the French Rivera with our grandparents until I finally just moved there. Francesco would always bring me things. I think me living away from him was hard for him more than it was me."

"I forget how much harder a childhood you had than us."

"It wasn't the best but it could have been worse." She tilted her head to look at him. "I've asked one of my friends from college to come help you." He looked at her sharply. "She has a degree in business so she can help you until Juni returns. She owes me a favor."

"What did you do? Save her son or something?"

"Her brother."

He sputtered into his cup. "Noona, I didn't mean it literally. Why do you have to be some Jane Goodall or Mother Teresa?"

"I'm not as holy as Mother Teresa, though I have gotten Bin to start going to church with me and the kids. He doesn't make plans on Sundays anymore. As for Jane Goodall, are you calling you and the rest of our family chimps?"

Junsu had to laugh as she would know exactly what he was talking about. She was very well rounded. "Thanks for the help, Noona, but I don't need an extra hand."

"Don't argue with me. Yi said you are down one pastry chef and a shop manager. I'm not doing this as a courtesy. I'm doing it to help you and your mother while Juni is gone. Now if you want to call your mother and tell her you turned down the Song family, be my guest."

"Mom would kill me. Seriously." He rubbed his hand over his green head. He didn't want to make decisions without Junho but he was seriously shorthanded. He would have asked for someone to come help him, but all his friends had to work as well. "What's her name?"

"McCall Stanley. I met her in Paris when I went to study medicine. She was initially a nursing student but changed her major when she found out she liked business instead. She was sent here a year ago to run one of the major Starbucks in Gangnam. Now she's going to come here and help you until her brother's visa goes through."

"I wish you could work here instead."

"You know why I can't. I don't even want to do what I'm being asked to do now, but Bin asked me to do it so I will. We can lean on each other if we need to, but I'm going to be asking a lot of help from the people at Song Construction. I have no idea how to run a business. Injections, surgery, paintings, clay, firing clay, those are all things I know how to do. Business is not one of them."

"Those five things typically don't go hand in hand you know." She looked at him briefly before going back to staring at the wall. "But I don't think it matters so long as you learn not to bankrupt the company."

They lapsed into silence as they listened to the music. Eri had an odd collection of music that ranged from typical KPop such as Xia Junsu to Beethoven. It was nearing three in the morning and they were still wide awake. It was the caffeine in the coffee, their bodies used to being up all night, or a mixture of both. Either way, they were awake.

"I have an idea," Eri said suddenly. "Hook my phone up to the PA and turn it up. Meet me in the lobby."

Confused beyond all belief, Junsu did as she said. Instead of the same music they had had on loop, he turned one Teen Top. When he went into the lobby, Eri was laying newspapers all over the floor. She had taken the paintings off the wall and had moved the tables free. A few cans of paint sat on the tables on top of newspaper so the tables wouldn't stain.

"We're going to paint a mural tonight seeing as how we both refuse to sleep like regular people," she said.

She knew exactly what to say to make him feel comfortable. He hadn't been sleeping fully the whole night in a month, and she had been the one to fill in Junho's gap since he'd been gone.

As the song changed to "Shirt" by Super Junior, they started painting the mural. Flawlessly, Eri painted the kanji for twins then started doing two of everything. Her brushstrokes were beautiful on the sunny yellow background. But the one thing that she did that baffled him was she painted all of his family names under the character.

Seeing his father's name scrawled in English and Korean made his heart ache. After his father had died, he hadn't seen his name anywhere. All of the documents were in his mother's name so he never saw it. Even their marriage certificate had been put away. He only saw pictures of his dad when he went home. He and Junho never kept any because they barely remembered him.

Even though the paint was wet, he put his hand on the words that told him this was his father's legacy. Getting an idea, he smeared black paint on his hands and pressed them to the wall under his name. He was going to get his mother and brother to do the same thing when they returned.

By the time they were done, dawn was breaking. They cleaned up and put the lobby back in order before collecting all their things and leaving. Junsu locked the door as Eri waited. His mother and their secondary pastry chef would be showing up in the next hour to get the store ready. They had to be gone.

"Want to get breakfast?" he asked as they walked down the sidewalk.

She shook her head as a huge yawn escaped her. "I just want to go home and go to bed. You're killing me."

"Thank you anyways. I wouldn't have made it in there if you hadn't showed up."

"Jun, it's not going to kill you to be there. It's your family business. You have to be there for it to be considered family."

"But it's also the same place where a family was ripped apart."

She let out a frustrated sigh that ended in another yawn. "Life and death go hand in hand just as love and hate do. It's part of life. You can't have life without death. It would be completely boring and filled with so much pain if everyone lived forever. This is going to sound morbid, but people have to die for you to truly miss them; people like your father and my Grandpere and Grandmere. Not a day goes by that I don't miss them, but I don't want them here to suffer. So I use my hands that they crafted to make things that remind me of them."

With nothing else to say, he hailed a cab. She lived on the other side of town and the buses weren't running just yet. He pushed her into the backseat and slid in beside her. She leaned against him immediately, head on his shoulder as the car pulled away from the curb.

By the time they arrived at her house, she was passed out. He paid the driver then got out. Carefully, he pulled her and carried her and all of her crap to the door. Woo Bin was already holding the door open when he looked up. He must have just gotten up and was waiting for them to return. Junsu took the open door and went in, going immediately to Eri's room and laying her down.

"This is getting old," Woo Bin said. His voice wasn't kind like it had been. It sounded more tired than anything. Junsu looked at him. "I miss holding my wife at night, but since she's been with you every night, I haven't been able to. I know it's no fault of your own, but please look into another way to deal with this. She hasn't slept a full night since you came here."

"I'm sorry." That's all he could say. He didn't have anything else.

As Woo Bin went about his daily routine, Junsu changed clothes and made his bed on the couch. He killed the light beside his makeshift bed and covered his face, Woo Bin's words echoing in his ears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I'm trying to keep this two stories even, but right now I don't have a clear view for Junho's. I'm not sure how to start on chapter two so you'll just have to wait until I get my bearings on it.

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When Junsu walked into the house to change between class and work, he walked right into a warzone. Eri and Woo Bin were standing toe to toe with Yi Jeong sitting helplessly as referee. They weren't yelling but the look on their faces was enough to tell anyone these two were seriously angry.

"You did what?" Eri demanded.

Woo Bin's face flickered from angry to concerned back to angry in a matter of seconds. He didn't want to be fighting with her. "I told Junsu that he should go back to his apartment. You haven't slept since he came here, and last night your nose started to bleed during dinner right before you went to see him. This isn't healthy. He needs to go home."

"When we got married you said you would understand when I did something. Why is this any different?"

"Because it is! It's affecting your health. What are we going to do if you get sick and start running fever? You know the risks and yet you still take them without any regard to what I'm feeling. I've stood behind you up until now, but this could seriously kill you."

Eri's face changed once and it wasn't for the better. "You've crossed a line. You know how I am about my friends. I was the same way about you and now you're pulling a double standard. Do you know how low that is?"

"All right!" Yi Jeong called, flinging his hands out between the two. "That's enough. Woo Bin, you shouldn't have started this in public; Eri, you should understand where he's coming from. You of all people have to take of your health because you could lose the rest of your hearing."

Closed off from everyone, Eri turned and strode by Junsu on her way out the door. No bags, no wallet, she carried nothing out as the door slammed behind her. Woo Bin looked up him, sadness etched across his perfect features. He had never argued with Eri before and he certainly didn't like it.

Feeling responsible, Junsu walked by him to the corner of the room and grabbed his bag. He cast them one look and left the house. Finding Eri on the sidewalk, he watched her for a moment.

"Don't worry about what he said," she advised.

"Did you really have a nosebleed?" he asked.

She shoved him in the direction of the bus stop and followed behind him. "I did, but it had nothing to do with being up all night. I get them if I get a severe migraine. I messed up a really good painting I was working on."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You have enough going on. Come on. McCall will be arriving at the shop soon."

He stopped, forcing her to stop too. "I can go on by myself. Go home and rest, or at least go to the studio and sleep. Let Min Ho know that you live." He didn't give her time to argue as he turned and continued on.

Eri smiled as she watched the youngest brother walk away. Even witnessing a fight that no one had ever seen, he was still way too worried about her to feel anything else. Woo Bin didn't raise his position as head of the household often, so when he did it was for a good reason. She wasn't going to tell him that seeing him riled had made her extremely happy, but she stuck by the belief that he was riled over something trivial.

She turned and headed towards the studio. McCall would be at the shop shortly. Maybe she would be able to turn this crazy thing upside down by being her usual interesting self. There was a reason Eri and McCall were such good friends that didn't steam from the fact that Eri saved her brother.

McCall was fully deaf, and being the only two deaf students in medical school had had its advantages. But McCall didn't have the thick skin Eri did and one little comment had sent her packing to the business campus. They remained friends all through college and after. McCall had been the first to congratulate her on getting the job in Korea, but she'd also called Eri when she found out her little brother had a heart murmur. Even though Daniel was technically too old for pediatrics, she had done the surgery.

They had been so close that McCall had called her first when she said she was coming to Korea. She was in charge the huge Starbucks in Gangnam meant she was always working, but she had a couple of weeks of vacation. She had graciously given up her vacation to help Junsu get the shop in order for his brother's return.

Whether either one of them understood it or not, Eri was going to try to set them up. McCall was flexible; Junsu not so much. He had been stuck in his one-sided romance for such a long time now that it was going to be hard to persuade him. So she wasn't going to persuade him. She was going to leave him alone.

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Junsu wasn't a happy camper as he stepped into his real apartment to drop off his stuff then walked the half block to the shop. He shouldn't have been so stupid as to involve Eri but he couldn't let her go. She had been a part of his life four five years, and it was hard to let something like that go.

She reminded him of Oh Ha Ni from middle school. Bright, caring, way too smart, and independent, Ha Ni had been the first girl he had ever liked. She had made him laugh and he had wanted to kill anyone who had made her cry. They had spent two years as close friends until she had gone to a different high school than him and lost contact.

The first person he ran into when he walked inside was his mother. Kim Moon Bae was the picturesque mother like usual. Dressed in a fine tailored suit, she was always ready for anything that came her way. She had quit her job at a law firm when her husband had opened the bakery. Then she'd had twins, and then her husband had died. For fifteen years she had raised her family and run a business at the same time, and that was before her husband had died twelve years ago.

"Hey! Kim Junsu!" He cringed at the use of his full name. Turning on his toes, he turned around and went to where she was sitting by the window.

"Morning, Mama," he said, reverting back to the old days when 'Mom' was a foreign word.

"Do you know this lady?" she asked.

Junsu looked at the woman sitting across from his mother. He didn't know her but he had a sneaking suspicion about who she was. He took a moment to look her over, taking in the fact that she sat with her hands on the table instead of in her lap. There was a look of surprise on her face, one he had noticed once before on one other person. So he tried his first instinct.

"Are you McCall Stanley?" he asked with both his mouth and his hands. He said her last name with a hard 'sh' sound so instead of Stanley it sounded like Shtanley.

Her face brightened at his use of sign language. "Yes, you must be Jun Eri talks about. She said you need help since your brother is out of town and your assistant manager quit right after your brother left."

Junsu continued the conversation as his mother looked between the two of them in suspicion. "Yes, and I'm still studying. I understand the greater outcome but it's the nitpicky things I have trouble with. I was nervous at first, but Eri says you're really good."

She smiled shyly. "I am but I only have two weeks. It may not be enough time to teach you everything. You're not like Eri who can pick up on things in an instant."

He smiled. "Are you calling me slow?"

"I'm calling you incompetent."

Out of nowhere Moon Bae laughed. It really wasn't like her to laugh at her son's shortcomings, but for years she had been the one to point them out. Now to have someone else to do it was kind of refreshing.

Junsu looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she covered her mouth. "Sorry, son. It was just funny." She sobered then looked at the woman. "Eri Song hired you?" She said the French-Korean woman's name western style because that's how she was known in the inner circles.

"Eri didn't hire me. I owe her a favor. Well it's more like a life debt, but this is the least I can do."

"Mrs. Song is very well versed with almost everything it's hard to think she would suck at business."

"Well she does, but then again she's an artist. No matter how hard she tried to convince everyone she was a surgeon, but the artist in her always came out."

"Has she told you what's going on?"

McCall nodded. "I think it's a mistake but when she puts her mind to something it's impossible to stop her. I was in school with her so I know."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Junsu asked.

"I live in Gangnam. It's a bit of a drive, but I'll manage. Eri has some sensors at her house. Is it all right if I install them for my tenure?"

"Sensors?" Moon Bae said.

Junsu nodded. "There are sensors for hearing impaired and the deaf that allows them to do every day activities such as cook and do laundry. When the oven is finished, the lights will signal throughout the house or workspace alerting them to the thing they were doing. Eri has them around the shop, studio and the house for when she takes her hearing aids out."

"How much are they?"

"I'm sure Eri will let me borrow them for a couple of weeks. If I end up staying longer, I can order some more."

Moon Bae nudged her son. Junsu looked down at her and she gave him an evil look that promised retaliation if he didn't treat their guest well.

"Would you like a tour around the bakery?" he asked.

McCall shook her head. "I have to pick up my brother from school. He has a doctor's appointment today. I'll be back tomorrow. We can start then."

He nodded then stepped back as she stood. She waved to them before walking out. Moon Bae looked between the departing woman and her son. Things were going to get interesting if she didn't set any boundaries.

"I like her," she said on impulse. "She's very smart when she calls you incompetent."

Junsu turned his shocked face to her. "Mom, how can you say that?"

"You are. You and your brother both, but I can forgive Junho because he cooks well. You on the other hand just flit about between this place and the other shop without so much luxury that I wonder if you'll ever make it in life."

"That's a fine thing to say to your youngest son."

"You're only the youngest by five minutes. And that doesn't mean I can go easy on you or your brother."

Junsu made a face at her, but Moon Bae didn't miss the sadness that stole across his face the second he looked out the window. He could still see the blood stain on the concrete just as the sidewalk met the street. That day had been horrible for both of them. Junsu had witnessed the death of a child and Moon Bae had seen the innocence stolen from her youngest. He had never seen death firsthand. His father had died in a hospital after being in a head on collision. By the time the boys had gotten there, he was already on his way to the crematorium.

"Junsu, sit down," she mothered. He looked at her then took the vacant seat across from her. She took his hands and held them tightly. "Baby Boy, it's not your fault that the girl died. Stop torturing yourself. You couldn't have done anything more than what you did. Her wounds were too severe and her little body couldn't handle the trauma."

Tears welled in his eyes and he pulled one hand up to press against his face. She ran her fingers over his cheek. Junsu always took everything to heart. He was a kind hearted boy and very gentle, but sometimes his emotions were so deep seated that he had a hard time remembering he lived in the present and not the past.

"Mama," he whined as the first tear slipped free and rolled down his cheek, "I miss Junho."

Her sons had been nearly inseparable since birth. When one was in pain, the other was in pain in the same spot. When one was sick, so was the other. When one was upset, the other could feel it. She had no doubt that Junho was feeling everything Junsu was going through, but since he was three thousand miles and seven hours away there was nothing he could do.

"I know, Baby Boy. I miss him too, but you can't let all of this get to you. She wouldn't want you to be miserable because she was killed. She'd want you to live." She wiped his eyes then folded her hands on the table in front of her. "I'll be here all day interviewing new people. Go clean up and get to work."

Junsu nodded and wiped as his nose as he stood. She watched her shattered child walk to the bathroom where he would take at least ten minutes to compose himself. She would allow him the time because no one could bounce back that easily from a trauma.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: So I complained about summer. Now you guys tell me where you're from. Like I said I'm from the Southeastern Unite States.

Also I have a bit of writer's block on Junho's story. So ideas would be appreciated although it's not going to be what you expect.

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Eri stared at the screen for what seemed like hours when in reality it was only minutes. Nothing on that screen made any sense. They were just a jumble of numbers spread out on a spreadsheet. She wanted to chunk it across the room but figured it would be frowned upon since they had probably spent a good amount of money it.

This whole being an heir to a company was tough. She had meetings and phone calls and other crap to deal with. She'd rather be in the studio with Yi Jeong than sitting at a desk reading the same colored pieces of paper every single day. She didn't understand how everyone did it.

Being head of the DeArgint family in France and the Song family in Korea were completely different. All she had to do for the DeArgint family was put in a couple of appearances a year, mainly at the Cannes Film Festival and the Cultural Art Show. Being the heir for the Song family was not like that.

Groaning she tossed the offending device to the wooden desk in front of her, yanked her glasses off her nose and rubbed her face. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Woo Bin laugh. The rotten jerk had turned everything that had to do with his family over to her. His only saving grace was that he was willing to help her, but that didn't mean she didn't want to kill him.

"Tell me again why I agreed to do this?" she asked.

"Because you love me," he replied.

"I'm beginning to wonder why." He pouted prettily, so prettily that she tossed a pen in his direction. "I don't understand any of this. Numbers are numbers are numbers. I understand Greek. Hell, I'm fluent in it, but this is Latin or something."

"How many languages do you speak?"

"That's all you got out of that?" He gave her a droll stare. "Six; English, French, German, Korean, Greek and Japanese. Seven if you count ASL (American Sign Language for those just tuning in)."

He frowned. "English, French, German, and Korean I can understand, but Greek and Japanese?"

"Grandpere used to take us on vacations in Greece when we were kids studying art. We learned the language by living there for three months. Japanese I picked up on because of one of my patients. Plus I went to a Japanese art showing with Francesco when I was seventeen."

"Oh." He looked slightly disappointed. "I thought it was because you liked anime and manga."

"There's that too."

He laughed. "I have to ask you something." She raised an eyebrow at him as she leaned back in the chair and folded her hands across her belly. "Why do you refuse to wear a suit?"

"Simple reason?" He nodded. "I don't own one, and I'm not buying any. As soon as this whole bull with Min Hae is situated I'm going back to the studio and you're going to deal with this. I'm not fit for this. I don't like people enough."

"Glad you're brutally honest about this."

"Woo Bin, you and your father backed me into a corner. You basically said that I'm the only other person who can do this because your legitimacy is in question and Woo Ahn is in jail. I'm your wife so I'm the only legal heir other than Bin Ji who is four. All he wants to do with buildings is destroy those he builds with blocks. Ahn Na is only two and can only say a few words. Who else is able to be a legitimate heir?"

When Woo Bin and his father Woo Jun had cornered her at their house a few days ago and basically said that she was the only one in the direct family that could be called heir. They had laid out the details that if he couldn't find an heir, Woo Jun was going to have to ask one of Woo Bin's cousins to step in. If he did that, Woo Bin would have a hell of a time getting his position back because his cousin wasn't going to let him have it without a fight. If she took the position, she could just hand it off to Woo Bin at any time without having to take her name out of line of succession.

If she had known what the father and son jerks had planned, she would have turned them down. Ever since she had stepped into the position, she had had nothing but a constant headache. She was now in the press every day. She had taken to taking her hearing aids out before she left the office because everyone thought she was deaf. Might as well be as she walked around the grounds. People were breathing down her neck at every turn. She barely got a moment's reprieve.

But Woo Bin had been there at every step. He knew her stressors and what to do about them. The last couple of days he had been packing a sketchpad and colored pencils in his bag to make sure she had something to do when things got too hectic. If there were three meetings in one day, he would take notes while everyone droned on and on and let her sketch to her heart's content. Then he would explain it at lunch when he shoved everyone out of the office to give her time to relax. That little thing was the ONLY thing that kept him alive when she desperately wanted to kill him.

There was a light knock at the office door. Tentatively Woo Bin called for the person to enter. Eri rubbed at her temples as McCall walked in with Hoon. The two coffee shop moguls (Hoon wasn't a mogul but that's what he called himself and no one argued) had been spending a lot of time together recently. Hoon was fluent in ASL and could converse easily with the woman. He was teaching Junsu as well so he would be able to talk to others.

McCall had taken the Kim family's bakery, now renamed The Twins Bakery, and had gotten it running on a high efficiency track. Junsu knew how to calculate things at a fast rate and put in orders that would be delivered the next day. He was even learning how to make different kinds of coffees courtesy of Hoon. They had seen a five percent increase in customary satisfaction since McCall had stepped in to help.

But that wasn't the only thing. She kept Junsu busy at all times of the day and night. If they weren't going over the books, they were taste testing coffee at Starbucks and tracking down suppliers. They were always busy doing something that was going to grow their business. Somehow the kid always made time for class, which was the most import thing.

Hoon held up a cardboard carton and Eri nearly went over the desk. She could smell the sugary goodness that wafted out of the lids through the small drinking hole. It was ten times better than the crap the office supplied. If she knew Hoon – and she did really well – he had packed sweets in that cooler draped across his arm. There was bound to be a brownie in there somewhere.

Woo Bin watched his wife carefully and tried his best not to laugh too hard. She was all but drooling as she watched their friends cross the floor to get to her. Undoubtedly she hated the fifteen feet from the door to the desk and it was taking precious seconds that she didn't want to waste. She had an insatiable sweet tooth. He was trying to break her of eating too much, but it was hard because everyone brought her whatever she wanted even when he protested. No one took him seriously, and that was probably was because Eri was a hell of a lot scarier when she was angry.

Hoon had barely put the large coffee on the desk before she snatched it from him and took a very large drink. Normal people would moan about how hot it was, but not Eri. She was content to suck it down even if it was scalding.

While she was choking herself on caramel goodness as she called it, the coffee shop owner was rummaging around in his paper bag. He pulled out melon bread, cheesecake individually wrapped, peanut butter cookies, and brownies. The brownies were snatched away instantly. The woman had an affinity for chocolate. If they would allow her, she would have coffee and chocolate given to her intravenously.

Hoon turned to him as he tossed him a cheesecake. "Do you guys feed her here?"

"We do but she's picky as hell. Give me a melon bread."

As the men sat down on the couch to discuss whatever men things they wanted to talk about, McCall sat in front of the desk. Eri finally came up for air and smiled at her. McCall never really saw her smile in college, but seeing it now made her look over her shoulder. There was no doubt that Woo Bin was responsible for that smile.

"I heard you two fought the other day," she said.

Eri nodded as she set her cup down and raised her hands. "We fight all the time though so it's nothing major. You've known me for eat years so you should know."

"Yes, but I never saw you lose your temper. Usually you just ignored whatever was being said."

"But also remember I didn't date anyone in college either."

That was true. After the whole Georges ordeal, Eri rarely left her apartment. If she wanted to do something, they had to do it in the apartment. That was partly Francesco's fault too. He was too overprotective but what brother wouldn't be?

"How is Francesco?" she asked, using the sign for saint in his name.

"Oh, you know him. He's taking care of your student's identical counterpart. He may be playing matchmaker. I don't really know. He's going to have his hands full with Junho though. That kid has a hard time making a pass at someone. Wait that came out wrong. Not a pass. Talking to someone. He doesn't outright come with his feelings."

The wording was off but McCall got her meaning. "I guess the twins are the same. Junsu bottles everything up. I still haven't figured out why he hates being in the lobby."

Sadness stole over Eri. She could feel it in every fiber of her body. She had felt it every time she had lost a patient on the table. Being a doctor was different from being a civilian trying to save a child's life but the feeling of loss was still the same.

"That is a story he'll have to tell you. I don't know all the details myself, just what he's explained."

McCall knew her friend had lied but she didn't push it. The one thing that was the truth was that she was going to have to get the story from Junsu, but at the moment he was content to keep it to himself even though it ate at him.

"How is this job coming?" she asked just to change the subject.

Eri scowled into coffee cup as she pulled the lid off. She drew her thumb across her throat as she took another sip. "I wish people understood privacy. Every time I think I have some time to myself, someone bursts through that door." Just then the door opened. She motioned to the poor secretary who was now subject to her ire. "Just like that! They just burst in without knocking!"

Hoon and McCall both laughed as Woo Bin got up to deal with the woman. Eri tore into a brownie. The poor chocolate had no idea what had happened but she killed it either way.

"How should I deal with Junsu?" McCall asked when the door shut again.

"You have to be firm with him. Sometimes he doesn't understand simplicity. Just be honest with him. Listening to him helps open him up a little bit too."

Woo Bin returned with a frown. "The board's called an emergency meeting. We have to be at it."

Once again Eri made a face as her friends packed up their stuff and headed for the door. Woo Bin escorted them out then waited at the door for her. Without thinking about it, he took her hand and led her down the hallway.

"Is Junsu all right?" he asked.

"I guess. I haven't really talked to him since McCall started working with him. Her tenure is up next week. I wonder what they're going to do," she said.

Woo Bin made a face as he opened the door and led her into the board room. She was going to plan all of this. He hoped McCall was in the loop.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Sorry for not uploading yesterday. I was sick and didn't feel like doing much of anything. Me and the dogs lay in bed all day and watched Korean variety shows because there's nothing more boring than a sick day. We slept most of the day so we missed most of the stuff.

I know how I'm going to write the twins' stories, but it might be hard if my mom keeps yelling "King Bob!" every time she sees the Minions movie commercial. It cracks me up and I laugh for a long time then I forget what I'm writing.

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McCall watched Junsu stare out the window of the shop. Today was her last day at the bakery before she had to go back to her real job. They had made leaps and bounds in plans for the new shop. All Junsu had to do was have everything okayed by Junho before they got things rolling.

They had worked day and night on all of it, sometimes staying up all night to manage the books and budget so they didn't go over too much. Junsu had barely been home, taking to sleeping in the bakery instead of going home. He did go to shower every other day. But she wasn't able to get him to open up.

She had watched him every day since they had started working together. He was happy and excited to be opening the second bakery. He was ready to get things going. His mother saw him working on everything he needed to do to get things off the ground. But everyone knew that there was something under the surface that was eating at him.

The bell jingled signifying someone had come in. McCall looked up to see Eri and Woo Bin come in together. There was nothing like seeing an extremely handsome couple come in together. But unlike her husband, Eri wasn't dressed like she should be a business person. She wasn't so she figured she could dress whatever way she wanted.

She met her eyes, asking a simple question. McCall inclined her head towards the bay window. Eri squeezed Woo Bin's hand then let go to walk over to her friend. McCall was able to see that though she wasn't dressed professionally but she wasn't dressed down. She was wearing a pair of chinos and Keds that matched her striped shirt.

"Is she always that quiet?" McCall asked Woo Bin.

He nodded as he pulled his hands from his pockets. "Yes, but lately she's been even quieter. Business is really bothering her. She and my dad got into a fight today."

"I've never known Eri to fight."

"She doesn't usually, but like usual she has an eye for details. She found something in one of the reports that will put hundreds of people in danger if it's not fixed. She told my dad and he didn't want to listen. She cleared the room with the threat of turning him in if he didn't fix it. She won the fight."

The two watched the other two by the window get up. Eri led the way out the door. They could see them from the window. Eri was talking to Junsu as he stared down at the concrete. She pointed to the ground and said something to him. They stared at each other for a long minute before Junsu said something. They talked to each other for the longest period of time. By the time they were finished, the sun had set over the buildings and the streetlights were on.

They came back in and sat beside the mural they had painted weeks before. It still wasn't completed because Junho's handprints weren't on it. McCall stared over the table at her friends. Woo Bin had his arm tossed along the back of the chair and Eri leaned into him, her head resting comfortably in the juncture between his shoulder and chest. They were completely at ease with each other, if anything could be said by the way Woo Bin's fingers played with the ends of Eri's hair.

"You didn't come here simply to talk to me," Junsu said as he set a tray of cake and coffee down.

"No, we did, but we also wanted to talk to your mother," Woo Bin said. He couldn't help the look of disdain as Eri reached for a piece of cake. "You couldn't have brought bread?"

Junsu smiled cheekily. "She may not show many emotions, but you have to admit that this reaction is always funny to watch. She loves sweets."

"If I have to take her to the dentist, I'm going to come to you for the bill."

"Do they always talk about you like you're not here?" McCall asked Eri as she pulled the now clean fork out of her mouth.

She nodded. "I'm used to it. Most of the time I don't care what they say."

Junsu slid the tray back as Eri reached for another piece. She scowled at him and he knew he was going to get it later. "Mom's not here right now. What did you want to talk to us about?"

Woo Bin pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it over. McCall and Junsu looked it over, eyes and mouths widening in shock. They looked up at their friends, searching their faces for any signs of a joke.

"This is a lot of money," Junsu finally said, looking at Woo Bin. "I can't accept it."

"Last time I checked I never asked you to accept it," Woo Bin said as he leaned back in his chair. "Check the name on the paper again."

McCall gasped a little. "DeArgint Incorporated? Isn't that your family?"

The other woman nodded. "When Grandpere died, he had everything transferred over to my name. My uncle was in charge of all of his father's businesses, but he declined being the heir. Francesco is too wishy washy so I was left everything. The only stipulation was that I had to spend the money on something worthwhile. I have a significant amount that I've put back for our children, but the rest I'm free to spend on whatever I wish. I talked with Francesco when he came to visit last week, and we decided that we'd like to invest in The Twins Bakery franchise. We'll help in buying supplies and upkeep of the stores. We're not asking for anything in return. We just want to help our little brothers in any way possible."

Woo Bin leaned forward. "It's a sound investment. They're not asking you for anything except cake." He slid his gaze sideways. Eri made a face at him, and he shook his head. "The only thing you have to do is let her," he tossed his left thumb at his wife, "taste test whatever comes out of the oven."

"I do have a name you know," she groused.

"Yeah, Mrs. Sweet Tooth. You go through more chocolate than anyone else I know. And Ga Eul and Jan Di are pregnant."

Being childlike, Eri stuck her tongue out. Woo Bin covered his eyes and laughed. Junsu saw the happiness and love between the two of them as they joked. There was nothing that was too serious for them. They were content laughing at each other even as they talked about a serious matter for them. They were making a huge decision regarding their finances and yet they were laughing about being childish.

He looked down at the paper again. They were volunteering to solve all their monetary issues. They had budgeted out how much money they were going to need for the building, décor, paint, utensils, counters, ovens, and anything they needed. It was all there. All they had to do was agree to it.

"Have you talked to Junho?" he asked. "He's a big part of this as well."

Eri crossed her arms and looked at him, all playfulness gone. "Junsu, are you really the one who has brother issues or is it Junho? You seem to be doing well without him given the circumstances, but Francesco says your brother has been really weird since he's been gone. He's been grouchy and foreign."

Junsu ran a hand through his hair, mussing the already tangled locks even more. "I'm the emotionally unstable one but Junho hates being alone. Because it's only been us for nearly twenty-seven years, he has no idea how to deal with outsiders. Before you brought us into this family, he rarely went out and talked to people. He worked all the time then went home and made some more concoctions. He didn't really have any friends, never mind a girlfriend."

"So he's never dated?" Woo Bin inferred.

"I never said he's never dated. He just gets bored after a while and breaks up with them. He doesn't want a wife or kids, which breaks my mother's heart, but Junho is really adamant about it. It's why he's so comfortable around you, Eri. He sees himself in you and he wonders how you work around everything."

"I don't work around it. I have people helping me, but it doesn't work if I don't put in effort," Eri explained. Woo Bin nudged her as he phone started ringing. "Can I just ignore it?"

"No, it's probably Dad calling you about the fight earlier. Maybe he's made changes," he offered.

"Yes, let's go see what stupidity he's come up with next, but I am going home at seven. I do have two children who need to see me before they go to bed."

"Yes, yes, I know. Let's get this over with. Have a good evening."

McCall watched the couple walk away, leaving behind the paper with a huge sum of money written on it. She looked at Junsu as he read over the paper again. She'd had no idea that Junho was as bad as he explained. She had never met the man, but Junsu had talked highly of him since she had worked with him.

Junsu felt wrong for talking about his brother the way he had. Not many knew that Junho had emotional and trust issues. He always seemed so calm and collected that they thought he was the most mature. And he was, but he was also the most vulnerable. He had never been alone, alone before. There had always been a family member with him.

Junsu was afraid of a lot of things, but being alone wasn't one of them. Junho hated being alone.

McCall touched Junsu's shoulder to get his attention. "Is there any way we can get in touch with your brother?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't want to mess with his studying. He's always been very picky about his studies."

He sighed and rubbed his head again. He was worried about Junho now. His brother had a habit of showing his ass when he felt threatened. He had no idea what Francesco was doing or saying to him, but he knew he would lash out if the Frenchman overstepped his bounds.

But he had more pressing matters. When they had been outside, Eri had made it seem like they were talking about the bloody patch on the concrete, but in fact she had been telling him to ask McCall out. He had gaped at her then asked how the hell she had known he was beginning to like her. She had just looked at him and he had felt completely dumb. She had always had her ways of doing things and sometimes he hated that she knew just about everything.

She had told him about McCall's little brother and how the high school boy was doing health wise. She had said that if he asked McCall out he had to take her little brother. They were a packaged deal. If he didn't like Matthew, there was no way he was going to be able to date McCall.

He looked at her. She looked at him, tilting her head slightly. He noticed that some hearing impaired and deaf people tended to do that when they were trying to figure something out. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Her brow furrowed as she watched his face. She knew he was thinking hard about something but had no idea what it was.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" he blurted out. If he hadn't, he was never going to ask.

McCall smiled as she realized what he was doing. "My brother and I usually spend our Saturdays walking around Seoul."

"Would the two of you like to go to the zoo or amusement park with me?"

"Matthew can't ride thrill rides due to his heart but the zoo sounds nice. What time?"

"How does one sound?"

She thought about it a minute then nodded. "Sounds good to me. We'll meet you at the entrance at one."

She patted his shoulder then left him where he was sitting. Junsu wanted to strangle Eri but strangely enough he felt really calm about it all.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I've finally gotten to a point where I can write these two stories side by side. I can mirror the stories now because Junho is finally cooperating! Yay, Junho! Let's see how well he cooperates in the future.

Today was interesting though. My dad hasn't been feeling well so he decided he wanted to go to the store today. I went with him and we had a decent day even though it was burning hot. I prefer colder temperatures but considering where I live this is normal. But I shared chocolate and I never share chocolate. I guess I'm a little like Eri with a huge sweet tooth. Also I have to make a correction. Junsu will graduate in February and not May. My initial research was wrong. Forgive me for that.

Now for a random poll! What's your favorite drink? I'm currently drinking hot tea in hot weather. I suddenly wanted tea but that's not the point. Let me know what's your favorite drink!

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Junsu smiled like a dope into his books. He was supposed to be studying for a test that was coming up but his date with McCall and Matthew still lingered in his head.

He had met them at the zoo at one like they had promised. He had never met Matthew before but he looked almost identical to McCall. He had short cropped blond hair and bright blue eyes. The only difference other than the gender was McCall's hair was a little bit redder.

Things had started off slowly because the guys had to size each other up. Matthew wanted to make sure the man his sister was seeing was the right one. He knew the kid just wanted his sister safe and happy. He felt the same way about Junho. Whoever captured his heart, if anyone did, would have to pass the whole family's test, even the children. And Junsu was going to be the worst one.

As soon as Matthew walked through the gate, he was off like a little kid. All Junsu and McCall could do was follow after him and keep him in sight as he went from animal to animal. It gave McCall and Junsu time to talk.

They had figured out that their birthdays were five months apart. McCall's birthday was August 15 while Junsu's was December 15. They were six years apart because she was the same age as Eri but it didn't really matter. She told him she had gotten her MBA at Universite Paris Dauphine. She had been enrolled with Eri at Paris Descartes University, but had transferred out when she fell out of love with medicine. He thought business suited her more.

Matthew had been a bundle of energy. For a seventeen year old kid he was very rambunctious. He had wondered why there was a sixteen year age gap between them, but didn't ask aloud. McCall had volunteered the information anyway. They were half siblings from her father's remarriage to a woman who was only eight years older than McCall. She was a Frenchwoman so their family had moved to France from America. Matthew was considered a Frenchman, but McCall considered herself American. So all their traits had come from their father.

But something had bothered him. Why was Matthew with her instead of with his parents? That she didn't volunteer and he wasn't going to ask. If he wanted to know, he was going to have to wait until she told him.

After the zoo, he had taken them to dinner and watched as the kid put away about as much cake as Eri, but the boy couldn't eat as much as she could when she was on a rampage. He stopped after three slices after he had had four servings of meat. He put away so much food he thought he was going to have to buy the entire restaurant.

He had offered to walk them home after dinner, but McCall had declined. She said he had already spent enough money on them and that they could make their way home. Junsu had tentatively agreed but told her to text him when they got home. He had made sure they were safely in the taxi before he headed towards his apartment.

As soon as he had walked in the door and had been taking off his shoes, his phone had dinged that he had a message. He checked it to see that McCall and Matthew were safely home. He had sent good night back and had gone for a shower then to bed since he had class the next morning.

His classes had dragged by all day. When he finally had a chance to get back to the bakery, he was itching to do something productive. He had balanced all the books from the night before and had placed another order for more flour and baking powder. He had straightened up the desk and had taken out the trash. And it still hadn't been enough so he had cleaned the kitchen around Yoo Sun, the second chef under Junho. He had laughed at him as he had moved around the very clean kitchen.

He had been staring at the same page for thirty minutes as his brain wandered from the night before to the present. He was supposed to be reading the information on the page and putting it in a spreadsheet in front of him, but the numbers were really jumbled. If he could get his mind out of the clouds he could probably get the assignment done for the next day. And he still had two projects due at the end of the month that he hadn't even started on. Luckily his professor thought of his real life experience at his family's bakery enough to make it his final project. He just had to get his butt in gear and do the work.

The bakery slowed down and he could hear the music from his spot in the back corner. It fueled his desire to get everything done so he could get back to work. A fire had been built underneath him. McCall had showed him how to run a business successfully and he wanted to make his dad proud. He would have already had two stores and maybe a third if he had lived. Both he and Junho would have been running their own shops if their father had lived.

He was halfway done with his spreadsheet when a shadow fell over him. He was really irritated already because he had made two mistakes already and didn't fancy a third.

"Would you move?" he asked rather harshly.

"Is that any way to talk to your older brother?"

Junsu's head snapped up as he heard his voice above him. Junho smiled down at him seconds before he popped up. He wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and hugged him tight. The world finally felt right again. They were finally together again after so long.

Phantom pains went through his hand and he pulled back to see a bright pink cast on his hand. Junsu stared up at him before Junho waved him back to his seat. The first thing he did was walk into the kitchen. Junsu finished computing the remaining figures in his computer and saved the file before closing the device and shoving it in his bag. By that time Junho was returning with fresh coffee and two pastries Yoo Sun had just pulled out of the oven.

"When did you get back?" Junsu asked as he took a cup from his brother.

"Last night. We came in on the red eye," Junho replied as he pulled apart the pastry.

His twin frowned. "We? Who's we? Do you have a girlfriend I don't know about?"

"It's not like that, Gangaji. Francesco got her to work with me when I sliced my hand open."

"Do you not like her or something, Goyangi?"

Junho smiled at the familiar nicknames they had used with each other ever since they were kids. "You know how I feel about it."

"That's not what I asked. Do you like or dislike her? It's not a hard question."

"I like her but I don't have romantic feelings for her. I haven't ever had romantic feelings for anyone before." Junho looked up when Junsu didn't say anything. Junsu was frowning over his cup at him, clearly asking him to lie one more time. "I'm not counting Eri."

"And why the hell not? We both know what she did to us."

"Yes, she made us realize that we're not the low trash the other women you had talked to thought, but that doesn't mean I want to be in a relationship. I respect the hell out of that woman but as I sat and thought about, I don't want to be married nor have kids. I don't have that paternal instinct like you."

Junsu drained the remnants of his drink then set the cup down. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Be honest with me because we both know I can tell when you lie." He waited until his twin looked up. "Were you really okay by yourself?"

Junho scoffed as he nodded his head towards the bay window. "I should be asking you that question."

The younger twin stared at the older one. This is what he always did when he wanted to avoid the question. He turned it around to make it seem like nothing was wrong with him.

"I was perfectly fine. I had our friends and family with me. You were the one three thousand miles away without anyone. Yes, I still have issues about the front walk but that's because I haven't talked to the family since it happened. You on the other hand have an issue about being alone that you never told anyone. The only reason I know is because we're twins. And the fact that you called me to walk you home when you attempted to stay the night with Kim Dong Jun when we were in second year of middle school. Mom still doesn't know about that."

"I threatened you if you told anyone."

"That's not the reason I never told anyone about it. I didn't want to embarrass you. Everyone knows you're the more reserved twin, but if they knew about your insecurities, they would never leave you alone. You lash out when you're angry, and lashing out would drive people away. You'd lose all your friends that way and you'd truly be alone."

Junsu hated bringing up things from the past, but it was the greatest concern he had when it came to his brother. Junho was intelligent and quick witted. He could come up with the funniest or sarcastic things to say at the right time. There were countless times when they had a fight and it ended because he said something really stupid.

"How's the second shop going?" Junho asked.

He went into a huge spiel about how much work he had done in getting everything ready for his return. He told about how many hours he had put into cataloguing everything they had in this bakery so he could have them ordered for the next one. Then it dawned on him.

"Did you know the DeArgint family is funding the new bakery café?" he asked.

Junho frowned. "When did you find out?"

"A couple of days ago. They came in to tell us. All we have to do to pay them back is to give them cake.'

The older twin laughed. "That had to be an Eri stipulation.'

"You know it was, but why are they doing that? I can never understand why they just throw money at us."

"Maybe they just really love our cakes."

"Or maybe you guys just need the help." They both turned as Min Ho strode over. They hadn't seen him in a few weeks. He had been busy setting up the gallery for new art shows Yi Jeong was having every week. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were coming back?"

Junho shrugged. "It's not like it's a big deal."

Min Ho sputtered. "Not a big deal? You were only gone for a month and a half. We get to see your reflection every time we see Junsu, but his attitude is completely different from yours. Your broody ass is always missed when you're gone."

Junsu watched his brother's mouth fall open as Yoo Jun brought Min Ho the same thing they had. Junho had never really had friends that acted snarky with him. He was just used to Junsu's sharp tongue. Now that they had been brought into the F4 family, he had so much more to learn.

"Anyway, you two haven't heard. Besides Eri taking over as the Song Family Heir – and it all has to be capitalized for some reason – they're also adopting two more children right before Christmas. I think they're going to register their birthdays as one day instead of two," Min Ho continued like the twins hadn't zoned off for a bit.

"Twins?" Junho asked. Min Ho nodded as he chewed a huge hunk of Danish. "It's going to be rough with four kids and a business to run."

"You haven't heard the rest. Eri is going to back off after she murders my sister. Min Hae has been causing trouble again. They finally have the right documents but Eri found that Min Hae has been cheating on her husband. I'm not sure if she's going to blackmail her and threaten to turn her in for adultery or if she's going to let it slide. I would tell her husband. But it's whatever Eri wants to do."

"We need to talk to her about the money."

Junsu shook his head. "It won't work. She's already bought the site we were going to put a down payment on. She said we can move in whenever we want. I was just waiting for you."

"You're going to argue with her aren't you?" Min Ho asked the older twin. "It's not going to work. She's already got Yi Jeong working on something for the new place. If you decline her, she'll be madder than she already is. Oh, and she's already had dinner with your mother so you don't have much of a choice."

Junsu knew the look on his brother's face. There was going to be hell to pay when Junho finally met Eri for the first time in two months. They had undoubtedly talked since he had been gone but he hadn't seen her since his return. There was going to be a huge fight once they saw each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Sorry it has taken a little bit longer to get this chapter up. I've been spending time with my family. My mom, sister and I went to the see Minions and we were the oldest mother and child grouping in the theatre. It was pretty funny so I recommend it.

Also last night I had a dream that I was dating Taemin from SHINee. I have no idea where it came from but it was pretty funny. We went to a water park of all places.

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Junsu felt awkward at formal events. He hated dressing up. He hated styling his hair. He hated being on his best behavior. There were so many things he hated doing that he had to do at formal functions.

Francesco DeArgint's art show was the reason he had ventured out looking like a penguin. He owed the man so much more than he could repay. In the last week Junho had changed so much. He was now able to be alone a little bit longer than usual. He couldn't be alone at night, but during the day he could be alone. Not that he was because Genevieve was with him most of the time.

Genevieve was a gorgeous woman with dark hair and blue eyes. He could tell she was older than Junho but at what age he was uncertain. She was kind of like Eri from what he could tell. She talked to his brother informally and they were always fighting (not that he would know since they mostly spoke in French). She even fought with Francesco on a fairly regular basis.

Seeing them together made him see that his brother was extremely charismatic, but there was no inclination to make a romantic move on her. From the outside looking in, it seemed they were the perfect couple. But he knew better. Nothing on his brother's face said he liked Genevieve as anything more than a friend he'd never really had.

A warm hand slid into his. He smiled down at McCall as she settled in beside him. Beside her was Matthew looking awestruck. He had never been to one of these functions either. He was soaking it in. What he didn't know was there was a chance everything could turn ugly.

Murmurs started flying as Yi Jeong and Ga Eul as well as Woo Bin and Eri made their entrance. The four were always together at functions and if they weren't, one couple wasn't too far away. Ga Eul's pregnancy was obvious in the tight dress she wore, but she was beaming. Yi Jeong matched her somewhat tonight but not like he usually did. Eri and Woo Bin were dressed casually which was odd for them at one of these events. The reason could be the two little people attached to them.

Francesco was dressed much like his sister and brother-in-law. He had been staying with them in their tiny house sleeping on their couch since Junsu had returned home. He scooped up Ahn Na and carted her around to talk to people.

Yi Jeong kept disappearing for the silent auction he was in charge of. All the proceeds were going to a heart disease foundation that was near and dear to the DeArgint's hearts, but the others were never alone.

McCall tugged on Junsu's hand then released it. "Aren't there two other couples?" she asked.

He nodded. "There are but they're out of the country at the moment. They've already bought two pieces from him at way more than the asking price."

"How do you know this?"

"Ji Hoo told me as he was getting coffee for work."

McCall stared at the two couples as they met up once again. They all looked pleasant, but she wasn't so sure. She had only met Eri and Woo Bin because she had known Eri. During the month she had been here, she had never met the expectant couple. Junsu talked highly of the four couples that essentially ran the group known as F4.

Francesco stepped in front of his family and opened his mouth. He said a lot of words of thanks to his family and friends, especially Yi Jeong who had put it all on. He thanked his sister and brother-in-law for putting up with him for the next month due to the consecutive shows, but it also meant he was going to see his new niece or nephew. Obviously Eri and Woo Bin hadn't told him they were twins.

He opened the bidding for the silent auction with a sweep his hand and turned to talk to a woman on his left. Woo Bin picked up his son and started through the crowd with Eri following close behind him. Ahn Na was still with her uncle so she was in good hands. Without a word, the other couple followed them. They stopped right in front of them just as Junho came up from somewhere in the crowd.

"Sorry we dragged you here. Francesco wanted all of our friends to be here so he would get more exposure. Naturally we thought of you," Woo Bin said. He juggled Bin Ji then whispered to him. The little boy settled down then rested his head on his dad's shoulder. "Let me introduce you to everyone. These people are So Yi Jeong and Cha Ga Eul. They own this gallery, or rather Yi Jeong's family does. The people with Junsu are McCall and Matthew Stanley. McCall works for the Starbucks down the street. She helped Junsu get started on the second bakery while Junho was out of town."

"The woman beside Junho is Genevieve Pepet. She's a fashion consultant turned amateur patisserie by my brother. I'm not quite sure how she got roped into this but I blame Francesco," Eri said.

"Don't blame me. Blame the idiot who cut his hand," Francesco countered staring threateningly at Junho. "But things have gone their way so far so I don't blame him too much."

Eri stared at her brother. "You're the one who broke up with her, not the other way around."

"Shh! Don't broadcast my personal life!"

That started an argument right in the middle of the showcase. Woo Bin and Yi Jeong shared a look that clearly said they were staying out of it. McCall and Genevieve knew all too well what would happen if they stopped that fight so they just waited. The twins were too caught up in it to even say anything. This was a new side to their noona that they had never seen.

In the end it was the children who stopped the fight. Ahn Na grabbed Francesco's face and pinched his cheeks until he made a fish face. Bin Ji tapped Eri in the face and shook his head while saying no Mama. Woo Bin laughed then hugged his son closely.

Junsu turned at the sound of loud voices. Another group of people had showed up at the art show. Min Ho and Jae Kyung caused a commotion everywhere they went, but this time it was different. Min Ho seemed mad. His face was red and his mouth was drawn in a tight line. Jae Kyung didn't look too thrilled either. She was holding her clutch in a white knuckled grip.

"What's going on?" Yi Jeong asked as they stepped into their circle.

"My sister has the press here. She's looking to start something," Min Ho said.

Woo Bin licked his teeth as Eri's face closed off. Yi Jeong motioned to someone from security, but it wasn't going to do any good because it was an open event. Francesco didn't believe in closed events. The general public was the best ones to get artists and anyone who wanted to be famous off the ground. He always kept it light and fun.

Eri put a hand on his arm and shook her head. Yi Jeong gave her a quizzical look. Woo Bin handed Bin Ji to one of the staff as Ahn Na went to Ga Eul and the woman left them. Francesco filled in the space Ga Eul normally occupied and they waited.

McCall looked at Junsu, completely confused. "What's going on?"

"Things are about to get really ugly. Min Ho's sister has been causing trouble for a few months. I thought we had things worked out, but now the hydra has reared its ugly head again," he groused.

"You do know if you cut off one head of a hydra, two more grow back," Min Ho said.

McCall laughed as Junsu took a deep breath. He obviously spoke before he thought too much about the words that came from his mouth. It was an endearing thing that he did. He had stuck his foot in his mouth on way too many occasions and had always been flustered about it. He had always wanted to make a good impression on her. What he didn't know was that she and her brother already thought highly of him.

A gorgeous Asian woman parted the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea. She had a handsome man beside her that was obviously her husband. She wore a smirk that said she thought she was going to win whatever she had come to do.

Eri moved suddenly, drawing the group of nine's attention. She took Woo Bin's face in her hands and whispered to him. His hands instinctively made their way to her waist as he nodded. The kiss they shared was searing that everyone looked away. Eri patted his face again and turned. She was not happy.

Min Hae and Tae Min stepped right in front of them. Tae Min didn't want to be there. It was all over his face. Woo Bin was his boss and he hated going against him, but Min Hae was sneaky. She had information on his father that she could leak out at any time. When he had married her, he thought she had been a good woman. Now he knew she was the classic hateful witch he saw on dramas.

"If I could, I would ask you to leave," Yi Jeong started. "But it's an open event. I can't rightly do that since it would leave a horrible scar on my company."

Min Hae smiled, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. Beside McCall, Min Ho and the twins sighed. They were way too used to all of this and were getting a little tired of it all.

"We've just come to see what the illegitimate heir of Song Construction is doing. Shouldn't he be at home taking care of his children?" she asked pleasantly.

Woo Bin smiled coolly. "They're here. Shall I go get them for you?"

"I would love to know why you are interrupting a perfectly peaceful evening?" Francesco asked. He hadn't been a part of the first encounter a few months ago so he didn't know who Min Hae was and what she had been doing. Eri had kept that from him for as long as she could. "Who is the former heir of Song Construction?"

"Woo Bin is," Eri replied. Her brother turned to her. "Mrs. Cho Min Hae has been causing issues the last few months by bringing up Woo Bin's legitimacy. So we answered by removing Woo Bin from succession and put me as heir."

The artist huffed up. "You didn't tell me this."

"I couldn't chance you opening your mouth. You have a loose tongue. I needed time."

"Time to do what?"

"Min Ho, did you know that Tae Min isn't your sister's first?"

Min Ho frowned as he thought over what she had just said. When it clicked, he stared at his sister. Min Hae had sworn up and down to their parents that she hadn't been doing anything with any of her boyfriends. Eri knew something. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but his brother-in-law sure did.

"What is she talking about, Min Hae?" he asked. His wife refused to meet his gaze so he turned it to his boss. "What are you talking about?"

Woo Bin produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to him. Eri actually looked concerned as the man opened the paper. "I found this as I was searching for things to use against her, but the only thing I could find would hurt you worse," she said. "It's all there. I would have brought it to you in private but I'm sure she wouldn't have let me in the house."

Tae Min looked at her for a long moment then looked down at the paper. Slowly his face contorted into one of utter shock and hurt. He looked at his wife with a face of utter disbelief. From their first encounter at the office, Eri had always thought Tae Min was a good man. He had always been kind and respectful to her but was always pushed around by his wife.

"What is all of this?" he demanded. "You better have a good explanation."

Min Ho stepped forward. Even though he couldn't stand his sister, he'd always been partial to Tae Min. "What is it?"

His brother-in-law turned towards him. "She's had an abortion before. It was a month before we met."

The younger twin stared at his older sister. "You could have had the baby and given it up for adoption! Do you know how hard it is for women who can't have children? All they can do is rely on adoption! And you killed a child that could have gone to anyone in this room!"

"Do you know that a woman's chances of ever having children are diminished when she has an abortion?" Francesco asked. "There's a possibility you'll never have children because you killed one. You just deprived you and your husband of the chance of ever having any children."

"She just deprived herself," Tae Min said as he crumpled up the paper. Everyone looked at her. "I won't live with a liar. I have never lied to you even if I wanted to. I have gone along with all of your harebrained schemes because of what you know about my dad, but no more. I want a divorce, and before you say anything, my dad went to jail because he embezzled money from his company. Until I got a job with Song Construction, no one wanted to hire me. But since I've worked here, no one has said a single thing."

"We don't judge here," Woo Bin said.

Eri stepped forward and held out her hand. McCall held her breath. Physical touch was always out where she was concerned, but she was offering her hand to him. She had grown in the years since medical school.

Tae Min took her hand, but before they could Min Hae ripped their hands apart and stepped into Eri's personal space. Eri lifted her head, and dark brown eyes stared into golden ones. Francesco started to move but Yi Jeong and Woo Bin put their hands on his shoulders and shook their heads.

"Don't touch my husband," Min Hae tried to threaten.

But Eri wasn't having any of it. "I used to feel sorry for Tae Min but now I feel sorry for you. You better have a decent lawyer because you better believe he will. Once he's through with you, you won't be able to show you face in Seoul. Oh, and consider yourself fired from your position with Lee Bo Lim. I talked to her this morning and she doesn't want a woman who can't respect an unborn child designing her clothes. It looks like you'll have to go home to Mama and Papa with your tail between your legs."

"Other than giving Tae Min the best divorce attorney, I will be resuming my position as heir to Song Construction," Woo Bin advised. Yi Jeong snorted at the happiness that laced his friend's voice and was elbowed in the ribs.

"Yi, you can now have her escorted out. I'm sure she won't be able to walk straight if we leave her alone," Eri said as she turned to go back to her family.

Like usual, Min Hae wasn't done. She threw her clutch to the ground and ran towards the retreating woman. She was instantly intercepted by her brother and the twins. Min Ho caught her by the head, thumb and middle finger pressed into her temples.

"You're making an even bigger mistake," he warned. "There's no way you're going to beat us. Tae Min has now been brought into the fold. You can't touch him. Now go home, pack your things, and go back home. Nothing you can say is going to make a difference. My family is going to slaughter you if you try."

"You're not part of F4. You'll never be," she argued.

"I beg to differ," Yi Jeong countered. Two security guards followed him. "Please escort Ms. Cho out, and put her name on the list of people never allowed to set foot in the gallery."

McCall stared at Junsu as the other woman was carted from the party. She hadn't heard what was going on, but she knew that Eri had just done something that was totally within her power.

From the corner of her eye she saw Matthew jumping in place looking from one group of people, buzzing with excitement. He had never seen anything like it. He caught Junsu's hand as he came back to them and expressed his excitement. He was just a kid having way too much fun. No one had ever done that for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Sorry it's been taking me so long. My friend had a baby and I've been watching Running Man. The show has me cracking up so it takes me a while to write.

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McCall sat in the empty floor with Eri. Well, to say the floor was empty wasn't the right term. The floor wasn't empty. It was filled with boxes and packing peanuts and everything else that would protect breakables and the like. They were sitting amidst all of it as music played dully in the background. Not that McCall could hear it, but she knew it was on because her friend was moving to the beat.

Woo Bin had kidnapped them early that week and had given them the task of packing. They had done it in two days because they were anxious to see the new house. The only people who had seen it were Yi Jeong and Woo Bin. Woo Bin had designed the house and Yi Jeong had been put in charge of decorating it with things the family had made. It had been so top secret that if anyone asked about it they were instantly scolded.

McCall had been the one to help Eri unpack everything. She had known her friend was nervous to be moving into a new place and starting another part of her life. She was getting her own house and adopting two babies to add to her already big family. It was a different experience this time around because it was two babies instead of one.

They were unpacking the kitchen at the moment. Plates went into the slots in the cabinet above the sink. Pots and pans were hung over the island stove in the middle of the kitchen. They put the rice cooker on the counter under the bowls and the silverware in the drawer by the sink. Once everything was put in its place, they could relax for a brief moment before they moved things again.

Eri motioned for her to follow her. They walked down the medium sized doorway to a set of double doors. Eri flung the open and stepped just inside, beckoning her friend in. McCall stared in awe at the exquisite room. It was decorated as if she were at the beach. The colors were warm and light and airy. The walls were covered in pictures Eri had made. But the most impressive thing was the bed. It was huge, taking up most of the far wall. Usually there would be a thousand pillows piled on top but there were maybe four. It was apparent the couple liked to sleep close.

She was given time to wander around the room and into the bathroom adjacent to it before she went into the next rooms. There were three extra rooms. One was decorated for a boy so it had to be Bin Ji's room. The other was a girl's room by the amount of light yellows and pinks. The last was a mixture of pink and blue. So the newcomers to the family were a twin boy and girl. It was going to be an even family with two boys and two girls.

They went back to the living room to unpack. The furniture was already in place. They just needed to unpack Woo Bin's books and Eri's art supplies. They set up the art station by the fire place and placed all the supplies on the shelves out of reach of wandering hands.

After all of it was done, McCall put on the kettle and they sat at the counter waiting as it boiled. Even though all they had to do was unpack a small assortment of items, they were still tired. Eri pulled out the cups and sat back down, staring at the gas flame that burned orange and blue under the metal kettle.

"When is Woo Bin bringing them home?" McCall asked.

"He's not. The agency where they are registered are bringing them this afternoon. He wants the house cleaned and ready to go but hasn't lifted a hand to unpack. Sometimes I think he does it to annoy me," Eri replied just as the kettle whistled.

"Are you nervous?" She poured the hot water over the tea bags as she waited for Eri to sort through her emotions. She was glad the woman could hear so she didn't have to use sign here. She could focus wholly on her friend and not look between three to four people.

"I think I'm more worried than I am nervous. I have two kids already. I gave birth to one and adopted the other when she was barely three months old. These two are four months old. Ahn Na has been the youngest for nearly three years. How will she take it?"

"So you're more worried about how your youngest will take it. Didn't your parents ever think about having another baby?"

Eri shrugged. "I don't know. I was living with my grandparents by the time I was twelve. It was peaceful so I didn't really care. It wasn't until I got here that I started to understand having younger siblings, but I never grew up with them."

"Didn't your uncle have kids?"

She shook her head. "He got married but he and his wife decided not to have kids because she has a rare illness. They didn't want to risk passing it on to their kids."

"It must have been very lonely after going to live with your grandparents."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Eri's mouth as she sipped her tea. "Not really. Grandpere had five students including me. There was a boy he taught but Grandpere was very strict about boys at the house. The guy only came around when it was time for lessons and stayed later because I helped clean. Looking back now, I think he liked me."

McCall smiled as she realized the woman she had met years ago in college was gone. The cold, almost unfeeling woman had been replaced by a woman who though she didn't understand what she was feeling all the time was open to figuring out what was going on. She didn't know if it was because of Eri's husband, children, and family, or a mixture of all three, but it looked good on her.

She didn't hear the beeping of the pass code being correctly entered, but Eri did. She turned in her seat, making McCall turn as well. Junsu walked in with a paper bag and a cup carrier. McCall was more concerned about how he knew the pass code. Eri got her attention.

"We have an open door policy. Everyone knows the pass codes to each other's houses except Jun Pyo's. He lives in a mansion and has security at the front gate but they know us so we go through," she explained just as Junsu came over. She looked up at him as he handed her a warm cup. "Caramel Macchiato?"

He gave her a droll stare. "What else would it be? Junho packed breads and pastries. Do not eat them all at once."

"You spoil all my fun. Why are you here?" She rummaged around in the bag until she pulled out two things she wanted most.

"I wanted to see the new babies."

"They won't be here until later this afternoon. But if you want to be help, move the couch five feet to the left."

McCall laughed at the dumbfounded look on Junsu's face. He didn't waste too much time and did as she asked. His arms bulged as he shoved the piece of furniture to the left. He looked strained but when he was done, he wasn't huffing and puffing. He was really fit for a man who worked in a bakery.

He stared at them when he was done as if asking if there was anything else he needed to do. Eri beckoned him over. They sat and talked for a good hour before the front door opened again. Woo Bin and Yi Jeong walked in talking about something business oriented. Eri made a face and tore open the melon bread. She obviously didn't regret giving the title of heir back to her husband.

Yi Jeong walked over as Woo Bin disappeared down the hall to the bedroom. He took five minutes to change then padded back to them. McCall noticed that it was customary for Woo Bin and Eri to go barefoot in their home when everyone else was wearing slippers.

"How was your day?" Eri asked over a mouthful of brownie.

Woo Bin laughed and made an incredulous face at his wife. She never ceased to amaze him. He leaned down and took a bite. Without her face changing one bit, she pouted at him. He appeased her with a kiss to the head before he reached for the fridge and pulled out the only thing in it; water.

"It was stressful. Thanks to your keen eye, I now have reports I have to fill out. You've given me more work," he groused.

She shrugged as if she didn't care then tossed the bag to him. As he was rummaging through it, a flood of people came through the door. McCall watched as Ga Eul led the charge with the two children. Four other people followed. There were two other women and men. One woman was heavily pregnant, other than Ga Eul of course.

She tapped Eri's hand. "Is that Ji Hoo?" she asked as discreetly as possible.

Eri nodded. "That's Ji Hoo. His wife is the one with the baby boy, and her name is Kyu Lee. The other couple is Jun Pyo and Jan Di and that's their daughter Man Ni. She's due in February with her next child."

McCall took time to look everyone over, starting with Ji Hoo. His reddish hair was long and curly with slight streaks of blond in it. He was tall and thin, but that was expected of Asians. He wore glasses but it only added to his good looks. His wife's hair was long and straight, falling midway to her back. She had it tied out of her face to keep her son from tangling his little, grabby hands in it. She was just as beautiful as her husband.

The other couple wasn't too bad either. The leader of F4 Jun Pyo was the tallest member of F4 with Ji Hoo and Woo Bin as close second and third. He almost towered over Yi Jeong but so far she thought that didn't stop the potter. It was obvious he had curly hair too but it was cut short and styled so the curls weren't as prominent. His wife Jan Di looked really plain standing beside him. Her hair was tied in braids and she had minimum makeup, but it didn't hide the fact that Jun Pyo loved her. In fact all of F4 loved their wives. It was obvious in the way they held them close and shared intimate smiles.

Junsu watched McCall watch his family. This was the first time she had seen all of them together in one place. Well, almost all of them. The ones missing were Junho and Genevieve and Min Ho and Jae Kyung, but those four had really good reasons. They were going to swing by the next day and see the new additions to their family.

He thought McCall was going to be overwhelmed by all of them together, but she wasn't. She sat calmly, turning her head as everyone spoke. Like Eri she was adept at lip reading and only signed when she needed to.

His phone buzzed on the counter and he looked at it. There was a text message from Eri. He glared at her for a moment then read it.

" _If you hurt her, I'll kill you."_

He wanted to laugh and scream at the same time. Once again he was dumbfounded by the simplest of terms. He already knew that but he waved his phone in the air as agreement. He didn't know if she saw it, but even if she did he was certain she wasn't going to say anything.

Not too long after, the door bell rang again. Ji Hoo calmly got up and walked to the door. No one moved as he welcomed the visitor on the other side. Junsu looked to the couple and saw Eri clutching Woo Bin's arm in anticipation.

Finally Ji Hoo led them around the corner and into the house. The two women were surprised when they first rounded the corner. They hadn't been expecting a mass meeting. Woo Bin left Eri's side and greeted them kindly. Then he led them around the house in the final inspection. Everyone stayed where they were with bated breath. They figured if they didn't breathe everything would go by smoothly.

It seemed like hours before the three of them returned. Woo Bin was speaking rapidly to them, making sure everything was all in order. He turned when the women left the house. Slowly, Eri stood and made her way over to him. He took her hand and steadied her. They had already been through this once before but it was still nerve wracking.

Ji Hoo opened the door again and helped carry two bags in as the women carried in two car seats. Woo Bin tightened his hand on his wife's as they stared at the two little ones that were about to be made part of their family.

Junsu noticed for the first time that Eri shook when she was nervous. He had never seen her nervous before, but this was a great experience. She rarely let her body show how she was feeling, but in this instance she couldn't contain it.

The woman who was handling the case smiled as she handed one of the bundles over. "This is Rin Ji. He's five minutes older than his sister Rin Ah. You've adopted from us before so you know there's a possibility that we will stop in periodically and check on you. It's just protocol. We don't mean to insult you, but we have to say it."

They made sure the parents were okay before leaving again. But when they left mayhem ensued. The adults swooped up the babies and started cooing to them. And the strangest part was Eri let them.

Junsu watched as she disappeared into a bedroom. Normally Yi Jeong would follow, but since he was getting ready to be a new father, he was all about the babies. So the younger brother followed. He found her standing in the twins' new room just staring at the wall. She had done the same thing when she had first adopted Ahn Na so he assumed it something she did.

"I thought I'd be ready but nothing shocks you more than having two more lives to take care of." She spoke as if she knew he were there.

He stepped into the room and looked around. "My mom said she definitely wasn't ready for twins but she still loved us enough to make us feel like we couldn't be without each other. I think that's where our complexes come from." He turned to her with a smile. "So don't worry so much. You'll do what you've always done. You'll raise those kids like you were raised, and beat the hell out of Woo Bin if he tries to stop you."

He saw a ghost of a smile and knew what he had said had hit home. He extended his hand. "Come on. Let's go back and get your children accustomed to this hectic life."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Writer's block has kept me from writing recently. I would try but nothing would come to mind. So I took a couple of days to figure out my thoughts. So this is the last chapter for Junsu. After that I will finish Junho.

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The morning had been super busy. After weeks and weeks of planning, they were finally able to move into the new bakery.

Woo Bin had given him the keys to the building a few days before and had instructed him not to go in until he was given permission. Junsu should have argued with him but since the deed was safely tucked away in the twins' bedroom at Woo Bin's house. No one was allowed in there when the kids were sleeping so it was completely off limits.

After days of waiting, the call finally came that they could start moving into the new building. Matthew, McCall and Junsu had showed up at daybreak to start working but were pleasantly surprised to find Eri and Yi Jeong already there. They were covered in paint and dust and the floor was covered in a drop cloth. They didn't realize they weren't alone until Eri fell backwards into a pan of paint. Yi Jeong's laughter resounded as he helped her up. She smeared paint all over his face in retaliation before going to wash her hands.

Everything had already been decorated according to their tastes. Wooden tables and metal chairs were spread out all over the lobby. There was a wrap around glass display case that went from the wall of the kitchen to the exterior wall. It was lit by a line of small Christmas lights. There were already sections blocked out for each pastry with their names written in both English and Korean.

The colors of the walls were warm and inviting, and now the mural that Yi Jeong and Eri had put on the wall gave it even more depth. It was the Parisian skyline with the Eiffel Tower as its focal point. On the opposite wall was Rome and behind the bar was London. They had put the three places Junho and Junsu had visited to become successful bakery owners.

Junsu was in awe of the two artists. They had obviously talked to his mother about everywhere he'd been and had planned the whole thing. This had to be the reason they had been locked out of their new business. They had been decorating and doing what they wanted, much like usual.

Without a word they all started working together. Matthew unloaded the cups and saucers and plates, and put them on the top cabinet shelf. His sister was in charge of silverware and other things people would eat pastries with. Junsu was hefting the heavy stuff into the store room so they could start that evening.

By ten everything was set and ready to go. Everyone was passed out in the floor, literally. McCall and Matthew were leaning against each other against the dry Rome wall. Eri was asleep with her head in Yi Jeong's lap with her friend gently running his fingers through her hair.

Junsu watched them as he came back bringing coffee for the two of them. Ever since he had met them he had never been able to see how deep the devotion Eri and Yi Jeong had to each other. When a massive project was undertaken, they were always on each other's side no matter what happened.

He handed his friend a cup of coffee and sat beside him. They sat in silence for a bit, watching the cars disappear on either side of the building. In a short couple of days this place would be open and hopefully people would come to the new location.

If he thought about it carefully, F4 had been the driving force behind it. They had bought the building, had furnished it, and had painted it. There were new cooking supplies in the kitchen too. They were too giving towards their families but complete tyrants when it came to someone attacking them. When they put their minds to it, they were really strong. It was amazing they hadn't already taken over the government.

"You know," Yi Jeong started, drawing Junsu's attention, "I'm pretty certain you haven't told McCall what's been plaguing you. Why you won't go into the lobby of your other store, and why you are always so tired during the day. Eri hasn't said a word; no one has actually, but you have to tell her. We've all avoided it until now because we've all been busy with other things, but if you truly want to make this relationship work, you'll have to tell her."

Junsu crossed his ankles. "How do you know I want to make it work?"

"Because you have the same face the rest of us had when we met the girls. We can't live without them now. You've slowly morphed into that. But there's one thing we have that if we didn't we wouldn't be able to survive this long. You have to be honest even when you know it's going to hurt your partner. Unfortunately, you're at a severe disadvantage because you have to think about Matthew as well, not just McCall. If you're not careful, you could lose them both in an instant."

He already knew that. Eri had already told him that she had almost not returned from France for Woo Bin. She had weighed her options while she had been gone and decided that she couldn't live without the man, but there had been a glimmer of indecision that had almost made her stay. In the end she was here and that was all that mattered.

Could he live without McCall and Matthew? Junsu looked at the two sleeping peacefully next to him. They were a packaged deal. Whoever wanted to seriously date McCall with the hopes of getting married had to like her brother as well. It was the only way since she was his caretaker here in Korea.

He liked Matthew. The kid was inquisitive, always asking questions and demanding to know the answers. He was extremely intelligent and it showed in his grades and the courses he was taking. He liked sweets too. A couple of days ago he had taken him to meet Eri for lunch. The two of them (Eri and Matthew) had gotten into a fight over who would eat the last piece of cake. He had never seen two people fork fight before. She hadn't said anything, but he knew Eri liked Matthew so that was a plus.

Yi Jeong watched the thoughts play across Junsu's face. No matter how hard he tried, he had never been able to hide anything. He was weighing his options, just like he always did. He liked McCall more than he told anyone, but they had already known that. His emotions had switched involuntarily. He still talked to Eri about everything, but it wasn't as passionate and he didn't always give the puppy eyes.

Eri stirred and both men looked down. She rubbed her jaw sleepily then tucked her hand under her chin. Her head settled back into Yi Jeong's hip and she was asleep again. Yi Jeong pulled his jacket up around her chin and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Has she been sleeping?" Junsu asked.

"Not since the babies came. She comes to the studio for a nap then disappears again to help Woo Bin when she thinks she's rested. This is the first time she's been away from them for a long period of time," Yi Jeong replied.

This time it was McCall who woke up. She pushed at her already messy hair then smiled sleepily. Junsu's breath left him as he watched her. She looked down at Matthew and pulled up his jacket.

Yi Jeong kicked at Junsu and he knew he wanted him to tell her. He grabbed a pen from the table beside him and the legal pad. He scribbled on the paper, and it took a while because he had to write in English. He realized that though McCall could speak the language, she couldn't read or write in Korean. Matthew was teaching her slowly but surely.

McCall took the yellow, lined pad and carefully read everything. She had to read it a couple of times before it sank in.

So the reason he had issues at the other store was he had witnessed a girl dying, dying in his arms to be precise. Every time he looked at that spot he saw her standing there seconds before she was ultimately killed. It was why he always looked exhausted when she saw him. He wasn't sleeping.

"At least now I know what the problem is," she said. She looked him dead in the face. "This ends now. You're at a new location. It's a fresh start. I know you'll be between stores but this is your primary. Make something of it."

Junsu looked at Yi Jeong and he shrugged. If he had known she was going to say that, he could have warned him. But then again they had told him that. He never understood why everything made so much more sense when someone else that wasn't part of the group spoke it.

"If we're done with all the sentimentality I think we're going to leave," Yi Jeong said.

Junsu laughed as he roused Eri. She wasn't having it and swatted at his hand. He hooked his thumbs under her chin and pressed into the soft tissue. She opened her eyes and threatened him calmly. He flashed his thousand watt smile then said something softly to her. She rolled over and pushed herself up, cuffing him in the head as soon as she was on her feet. Yi Jeong laughed as she tossed his jacket at his face. The potter stood and waved goodbye to the two awake before loudly following his retreating friend.

"How do they even get along?" McCall asked.

Shaking his head, Junsu said, "I have no idea, but it's the strongest relationship I've seen in a while." He stood and extended his hand. "We should get up. Junho will be here shortly to start preparing for tomorrow. Wake up the monster."

McCall laughed as she stood. She turned and shook Matthew. As he watched, he realized he had already come to rely on both of them. There was no way he was going to be letting them go.

THE END


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